Storm
by Soruai
Summary: When Pikachu's past crashes into the gang, things take an odd and dangerous turn. Ash must come to terms with his feelings for one of his old friends, and all the old teams must unite once again.  Rated for mild language and violence among Pokemon.


**Okay! Welcome to the first revised chapter of my story. This is where the real change starts.**

**Forget everything you read in the old version of this story. This will be completely different.**

**I'm only leaving the old version up for a brief time period so people can see the notice. After that, I'm deleting it. If you're a freak about rereading like I am, I give you my permission to copy the old chapters into your own documents to read at your leisure, as long as you don't repost them anywhere. If you intend to do so, contact me first with the site and please wait for my approval. If I give you permission, do not forget to credit me, but also remind everyone that it's old work, and that the grammar, punctuation, and storyline are much weaker than they are now.**

**Anywho... Enjoy, I guess. Tell me what you think. Inform me on what you want done. If you have any ideas for a storyline twist, send me a PM. Anything else, please mention in a review.**

**Pikachu's POV:**

It was surely a challenge overcoming all the emotions that I had experienced after being stolen from my home. I had thought that I had finally conquered them years ago, after I had accepted that I could never go back to the clan that had been so hospitable to me for so long, to the other Pikachu-kin that had cared for me for all that time.

I thought wrong.

I knew the minute Ash and I arrived back in Kanto that the clan had moved back in nearby. Their scent was everywhere, the same as it always was before. The myriad of different Pokemon pack-smells brought back waves of memories. Memories of exploration, of friendship, of childhood dreams... all of these things seemed to plague my mind.

I dropped from Ash's shoulder, allowing myself to look around. _Are they back in their old clan-home?_ I wondered briefly.

Ash stopped, turning to face me. "What's up, Pikachu? We're not home yet." He looked out at the forest, at the very spot I was staring at so intently. "Do you see something, buddy?"

I saw nothing, but the desire I had to visit my old friends was almost overwhelming. Even so, to go back there would be a certain death sentence. My old clan despised Trainer Pokemon with all of their being, though I never knew the reason. It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid of the power they wielded, and I would have distanced myself quickly had I not caught that one particular scent, the one that called to me as loudly as a Chatot's frightened screech.

_Her_ scent.

I had always wondered what had become of my good friend, Lightning. I had assumed she would have taken a mate by now, gotten on with her life after I was gone. It made no sense that her scent was still here. Female Pikachu always join the clan of the male they choose as a mate, and there were no eligible male Pikachu in our clan. _Then again, it's been years since I've been here. They could have taken in some new blood,_ I thought to myself.

Then it hit me. Lightning was the daughter of the clan's chief, meaning that _he_ would choose a mate for her. She would be betrothed to a male who was the strongest in the clan, but not necessarily anyone she loved. Her mate could be the cruelest Pikachu in the world, but her father would be obligated to betroth her to him.

The thought of her carrying on without me through the years had always brought me some amount of comfort, but today it only sickened me.

Ash spoke up again. I had almost forgotten he was there. "Pikachu? Is something wrong?"

I broke my gaze away from the forest and, feeling as if a block of lead was in my stomach, turned back to him. _"No, everything is fine."_ I jumped back onto his shoulder. _"Let's get moving."_

He looked at me oddly, but started back on the run to his old home. We were to gather there, by order of his mother, to celebrate his participation in the last championship. Some friends, after they were done getting ready, were meeting us there as well. Misty, Brock, Dawn, and May were coming for sure, but Max was unable. Being ten, he now had a Pokemon of his own and was traveling the Hoenn region, a big accomplishment for him. Ash, knowing how special it was to him, politely told him that he didn't have to come.

When the house finally came into view, it was getting dark. Brock and Misty were catching up with each other, having already been there ahead of us. After a loving reunion in which Misty fed me my favorite Pokemon food, we all headed off to bed. Well, everyone except me, anyway. I tossed on the sheets of Ash's bed for what seemed like hours until I finally got up and climbed out the window.

The night air was cool and refreshing against my fur, and the world around me was brightly lit by the moon. I reveled in the silver-blue glow that illuminated my body, running quickly for the cover of the forest, trying to pick out Lightning's scent from the rest of the clan's. I had a close call with some of the scouts in the Deep Wood, but otherwise, I was able to weave my way through the forest as easy as I did four years ago.

As I passed the clan-home where her scent was congregated, I realized quickly that it would be a very hard thing to accomplish if I was determined to see her again. Along with her father, a powerful Raichu, there was a very strong male Pikachu with a take-no-prisoners disposition standing just next to him. The rest of the clan was about average strength, but with sheer numbers, was a formidable opponent for any Pokemon.

_There's no way I can get through there..._ I cursed myself silently for even attempting the journey. _I knew coming here would be trouble... Why did I come?_ I turned to leave, then caught a whiff of something I had to convince myself was real. A fresh scent trail of hers, heading off to the cliffside. I quickly followed the trail, too eager to care about being discreet. I grunted a quick apology to a Rattata family whose sleep I disturbed before continuing my race.

I'm not sure what force was driving me forward. There was something commanding me to follow the scent, making me continue through sheer force of will. The moss snaking over the ground was soft and cool against my feet as I ran, the wind coming through in icy wisps, blowing my scent downwind.

I stopped just as I reached the edge of the clearing. Her scent was coming off in waves, and I took it in as if I would drown without it. It was like taking a drink of fresh water after days in a desert. Steeling myself and taking another deep breath, I left the cover of the forest.

I slowly scanned the reaches of the meadow that resided on the cliff. The grasses were tall and thick, and just as I was about to give up hope, I saw her. The figure of a young adult Pikachu, bathed in moonlight. Fallen petals of sakura blossoms swirled in the air around her, giving her an unearthly glow. She had her face raised to the wind, and she looked... sad. As if lost in a painful memory. She still bore the jagged red scar over her left eye that her father gave her years ago, but even that seemed to be beautiful in the silvery glow of the moon.

I suddenly remembered... this is where it happened. Where we were separated. It was four years ago today. It made me wonder... Did she come here to remember _me_?

_I was already late when Vera stopped me. _"Flash! Where are you off to now?"_ She seemed cross, and I could only imagine what Lightning and I had done to piss her off this time._ _Ah, well. I didn't have time for delay then, anyway. I maneuvered my way around her, speeding off with her yelling after me. I'd pay for that later._

_I was almost there when I barreled head-first into Lightning. We tumbled down the hill until she was able to force us to a stop, pinning me down at the base of the slope._

"Decided to drop in, did you?"_ she asked playfully. I managed an embarrassed smile and nervous chuckle. She laughed lightly and got off of me, rolling her eyes at my blush. _"Come on, that wasn't even a good line. Don't go blushing to me."

"Sorry,"_ I laughed out. I picked myself off the ground, shaking the dirt from my fur. _"I thought we were going to watch the stars. Is this not so, my Princess?"_ I gave a mock bow, smirking up at her._

_She groaned, heavily irritated. "_You know I hate it when people do that," _she pointed out._

"Yeah, I know," _I said. "_It's my favorite way to annoy you."

_She couldn't keep the glare on her face, so she eventually settled with a smirk._ "Fine, then. Let's move on."_She led me to the cliffside, a place we had passed many a time without acknowledgement. The sun was setting as we sat on the ledge, and as the night blossomed, I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful sight._

_The stars shone brightly, diamonds on black silk. Swirls of them wrapped around the sky, enveloping us in their twinkling light, reflected in Lightning's sapphire blue eyes. All of the beauty, both in front and beside me, distracted me from what lay behind me._

_I was taken by surprise when the Charmeleon attacked. The fire burned both of our backs before we could turn around. Lightning cried out, thrust out and away from my side. I reached out for her, but the Charmeleon was suddenly in between us, slashing me away violently. It was only after I collided with the rock that I saw the trainer commanding the Pokemon. I succeeded in landing a Thunderbolt on the Charmeleon, but it only caused mild damage. It soon had me pinned to the ground, where its trainer managed to scoop me up and put me in a rubber-lined cage._

_My head spun. The Charmeleon was recalled and my cage was placed in the back of a truck along with several other unfortunate Pokemon. I cried out from the cage, trying to reach the clan with my voice, but it was to no avail._

_Suddenly, I saw an injured Pikachu in the distance, running after the truck at full speed. Then I realized... it was Lightning. Her right front leg was injured, she had deep gashes on her back, and the Charmeleon had reopened the scar over her eye, which was obviously impairing her vision. She was able to get close to the truck, close enough that I could see the tears streaming down her face, could hear her desperately calling my name._

"Flash!"_ she was screaming now, falling back because of her hurt leg. Her voice faded as she trailed farther and farther behind. Soon, she disappeared from my vision completely._

_I was left alone._

_When I woke up, most of the other Pokemon were gone. Sold off illegally, no doubt. The hunter who captured me was accepting money from an old human. He handed the man a pokeball and gestured to my cage. I planned to bolt as soon as my cage was opened, but a mist sprayed in my face, making my muscles heavy. My eyelids forced themselves shut, and I fell into a deep slumber, only to awake in the dark, terrifying confines of a pokeball._

_I could only think of finding Lightning. If I could get back to her, everything would be okay. I promised her when we were young that I'd always be there for her, and I intended to keep that promise. I promised myself in that moment that I would resist whatever trainer came to claim me as their own. I would fight to be free._

_I was released onto a circular metal table with a raven haired boy grinning goofily at me._

_My adventure began that day._

...No, she couldn't have been here for me... But there was a way to find out. I stepped forward into the moonlight.

_"Lightning?"_


End file.
